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Poles Apart

GLOBAL WARMING — the result of human activity or just another environmental bandwagon?

His interest piqued by the profound policy implications of global warming, and by evidence he’d seen on this motorcycle tour of the world, Gareth Morgan decided to find out.

The method was to hire the best international scientists available to present their best arguments. Some were staunchly of the view that human beings are damaging the delicate climatic balance, other equally convinced the evidence suggest that nothing out of the ordinary is under way.

Far from an orderly discussion of the evidence from the natural world, Gareth and co-author John McCrystal found themselves stuck in the middle of a fractious, at times catty, but always mesmerising debate bewteen two sides that are poles apart.

Over the next 18 months, the authors’ task was to sift through the arguments and courter-arguments, the mid-slinging and the name-calling, the distractions and the distortions — much as a jury must in a trial involving expert testimony from both sides.

Slowly, painfully, the weight of evidence began to favour a single verdict.

Poles Apart sets out the authors’ conclusions as well as the path that led them there, because, after all, getting there was half the fun.

Description

GLOBAL WARMING — the result of human activity or just another environmental bandwagon? His interest piqued by the profound policy implications of global warming, and by evidence he’d seen on this motorcycle tour of the world, Gareth Morgan decided to find out. The method was to hire the best international scientists available to present their best arguments. Some were staunchly of the view that human beings are damaging the delicate climatic balance, other equally convinced the evidence suggest that nothing out of the ordinary is under way. Far from an orderly discussion of the evidence from the natural world, Gareth and co-author John McCrystal found themselves stuck in the middle of a fractious, at times catty, but always mesmerising debate bewteen two sides that are poles apart. Over the next 18 months, the authors’ task was to sift through the arguments and courter-arguments, the mid-slinging and the name-calling, the distractions and the distortions — much as a jury must in a trial involving expert testimony from both sides. Slowly, painfully, the weight of evidence began to favour a single verdict. Poles Apart sets out the authors’ conclusions as well as the path that led them there, because, after all, getting there was half the fun.